Muslim Council Issues Fatwa Against Halloween

A Muslim authority in Malaysia has issued a religious edict (a fatwa) saying that the celebration of Halloween is against Islamic law and should not be celebrated by any Muslims. Ironically, part of the reason given is that Halloween is a “Christian holiday.”

Muslims are now prohibited from celebrating the Halloween festival traditionally held at end of this month, according to an edict released by the National Fatwa Council today.

Based on the fatwa released on its website, the council has categorised Halloween as a Christian celebration of the dead and against Islamic teachings, and is urging Muslims to pray for their deceased instead.

“The Halloween celebration is clearly against the values of Shariah,” said the council, referring to Islamic laws and codes.

“It cannot be celebrated by Muslims. To remember those who have passed away, Islam suggests the practices of reciting doa (prayers) and Quran.”

Despite declaring Halloween to be a Christian festival, the council noted that it is now celebrated through costume parties, trick-or-treating, lighting bonfires, visiting haunted locations, pranks, and horror story-telling.

“Halloween is celebrated using a humorous theme mixed with horror to entertain and resist the spirit of death that influence humans,” it said.

Funny, that sounds a lot like what many Christian right folks say about Halloween. Just another similarity between Christian and Muslim extremism.

Morons! Idiots! Fools! Sure, preventing other people from having fun is good and all, but if they’re trying to get people to join them they shouldn’t pick fights against candy. God is powerful, but He can’t beat a Snickers bar.

http://onhandcomments.blogspot.com/ left0ver1under

A “muslim authority”? A muslim authoritarian is more like it, trying to tell everyone else how to live instead of doing it themselves, by themselves.

As so often happens with religious extremists, the message is “Do as we say. Or else.”

dingojack

Halloween is a supposedly Christian festival?!?

Perhaps the Right-Wing Nut-Jobs’ memos didn’t get CCed to Malaysia’s Muslim High Command.

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Dingo

dingojack

A shame since they usually they’re on exactly the same page…

Dingo

sugarfrosted

I actually get it. They’re seeing their culture getting replaced with the United States’. I mean their reasons as to why are kind of silly, but on the other hand, their likely real reason is reasonable. The Christians in the US are just fear mongering to scare their followers into tithing, this is different to me.

sugarfrosted

@3 It was one eons ago. It was secularized like Christmas was. As you might have noticed fundies tend to suck at history.

Sastra

Well, I think it’s best to keep the Hallo in Halloween.

Hallo. How are you? I’m sorry you’re a ween.

dhall

#6 – No, it wasn’t originally Christian. It was a pagan festival long before Christianity came along.

Nick Gotts

dhall@8,

Ah. Like Christmas and Easter, you mean?

Artor

If the following were what I thought Halloween was, I’d consider a fatwa against it too. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Xian Halloween. It’s Jesusween! (No really. I’m not kidding.)

@8 It’s a bit more complex than saying the Christians simply glommed on to an existing festival. Undoubtedly there were autumn festivals in many cultures often associated with the dead but modern Halloween owes as much to the Christian All Hallows Eve as to Samhain and more to 20th Century commercialism than either. Druids did not go trick or treating for candy.

freehand

sugarfrosted says: I actually get it. They’re seeing their culture getting replaced with the United States’.”

.

Undoubtedly this is much of it. But don’t discount the power of the Fundamentalist’s instinctive revulsion for simple fun of any kind.

caseloweraz

Artor: Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Xian Halloween. It’s Jesusween! (No really. I’m not kidding.)

Jesusween is just a special case of Overween, the Christian wingnut holiday that takes place every day.

And would the participants call themselves “Jesus weiners”? (Ah, I see the video beat me to it…)